Plastic Surgery in Iraq

At the height of the violence in Iraq a few years back, cosmetic surgeons were desperately needed to perform skin grafts or amputations on people who'd been disfigured. But in a (good? bad? we don't even know) sign of the times, the Los Angeles Times reports, surgeons in the country are now performing truly cosmetic procedures like nose jobs and Botox injections. One surgeon told the paper that half of her patients are seeking cosmetic surgery, compared with less than a quarter a few years ago. And a commonly-cited reason? Marriage—both women and men that writer Caesar Ahmed spoke to feel their prospects are better after a nose job.